While Greece is entering more and more «deep» in the magical world of electronic payments, finding that he found an antidote in small and medium-sized enterprises tax evasionIn Europe, they think twice about the ever smaller use of cash.
The truth is that our country has followed the digital model which the countries of the North have been applying for years. However, since the pandemic, beyond the digitization of crucial functions of the State, which simplified the lives of citizens, electronic payments have even penetrated the microtransactions of everyday life. And it was not only the obligation to accept electronic means of payment, it was the ease of payments that pushed more and more into using plastic money.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERSION
According to the Bank of Greece's latest data, the total number of transactions with payment cards in 2025 amounted to 2.7 billion, increased by 10%, and the total value of transactions with payment cards amounted to 119.5 billion euros, increased by 6% annually. As for the average value per transaction, it was further reduced in 2025, to 43 euros, from EUR 44 in 2024, a sample of the fact that plastic money is no longer used for large-value purchases, e.g. electronic devices.
Επιστρέφουν τα μετρητά; Τι αποφάσισαν στη Σουηδία
While in Greece the financial staff has every reason to want the even greater use of plastic money, «measuring» billions of euros from the field of tax evasion, in many countries there is a trend towards strengthening the use of cash, even through legislative interventions.
It has not been many years since the ECB responded negatively to the request of the Greek authorities for more non-incentive cash use (e.g. a minimum transaction threshold below the 500 euro currently in force), pointing out that cash remains at the core of the Eurosystem. It is now up to countries in the North to see that electronic payments have not only advantages but also disadvantages. Last sample of writing, law passed in Sweden and immediately implemented.
The Swedish Parliament passed a new law requiring grocery stores, pharmacies and banks to accept cash to a greater extent, after the rapid reduction in the use of cash in the country. With some exceptions, grocery stores and pharmacies will be required to accept notes and coins, while banks will be obliged to ensure that cash deposit services are available throughout the country.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERSION
The Swedish government has also been called upon to consider whether other sectors of society, such as public services, should accept cash on a wider scale. The most interesting thing is that during the parliamentary debate it was reported that about half a million Swedes live in «digital exclusion» and depend on cash in their daily lives, including elderly people, people with disabilities, homeless persons and women who are victims of crime.
But it is not just Sweden that changes tactics. As shown by a relevant study prepared on behalf of the Swedish Ministry of Finance, cash payment is already regulated in Norway and Denmark. There, traders are obliged, with some exceptions, to accept cash payments. Similar claims are considered for cash payments in euro in the euro area. In Norway, banks are required to allow customers to make deposits and withdrawals in cash in accordance with customer expectations and needs. According to a bill proposed by the Dutch Treasury, banks in the Netherlands have to maintain a basic infrastructure for withdrawals and cash deposits across the country.
In the United Kingdom, the Financial Behavior Authority (FCA) has proposed that certain designated banks assess the availability of cash, taking into account the conditions in the region – for example, demographic composition. If banks recognise the need for cash, they should offer them. Banks are also not allowed to close bank branches that manage cash without first replacing them with other cash services.
Τι λέει η ΕΚΤ
Leaving aside the recommendations made by governments to their citizens, after the last geopolitical crises, to keep cash aside in case of exceptional circumstances (e.g. digital war or black out that can disable electronic payment networks), is interesting the ECB's attitude towards using cash. And as it turns out, the advantages it highlights and lists on its official website are not negligible:
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERSION
- They ensure your freedom and autonomy: Banknotes and coins are the only form of money that people can maintain without the participation of a third party. You do not need access to equipment, Internet or electricity to pay cash, which means you can use them when the power is off or if you lose your card.
- It's legal money: Creditors, such as shops and restaurants, cannot refuse cash unless both themselves and the client have agreed in advance on another means of payment.
- Διασφαλίζουν το απόρρητό σας: Cash transactions respect our fundamental right to protect our privacy, data and identity in economic matters.
- They are inclusive: Cash provides payment and savings options for individuals with limited or no access to digital money, making them crucial to the integration of socially vulnerable citizens, such as elderly people or lower income groups.
- Helps you track your expenses: Cash allows you to maintain better control of your expenses, for example, by preventing you from excessive expenses.
- They're fast: Banknotes and coins pay off a payment immediately.
- Είναι ασφαλή: Cash has proved safe against cybercrime, fraud and counterfeiting. And, as it is central bank money, it does not entail economic risks for either the payer or the beneficiary.
- It is a means of saving value: Τα μετρητά είναι κάτι περισσότερο από ένα απλό μέσο πληρωμής. Επιτρέπουν στους ανθρώπους να διακρατούν χρήματα για σκοπούς αποταμίευσης χωρίς κίνδυνο αθέτησης. Είναι χρήσιμα για μικρές δωρεές και πληρωμές από άτομο σε άτομο. Για παράδειγμα, οι γονείς μπορούν να εμπιστευτούν μικρά ποσά μετρητών στα παιδιά τους για μικρές αγορές, ή ένα άτομο μπορεί να δώσει μετρητά σε έναν φίλο ή γνωστό για να αγοράσει κάτι εκ μέρους του. Τα μετρητά συμβάλλουν, επίσης, στον οικονομικό αλφαβητισμό των παιδιών.
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